Telstra withdraws from marriage equality debate allegedly due to church pressure
UPDATE: April 18, 2016 at 4 p.m. AEST Telstra will again be taking an "active position" in support of marriage equality, the company announced in an emailed statement Monday. "It is clear that rather than Telstra stepping back we should in fact step forward and support our view for marriage equality and so that is what we will do," it said.
UPDATE: April 13, 2016, 5:14 p.m. AEST The Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney has rejected claims it threatened to remove its business from companies such as Telstra who participated in a public campaign for marriage equality.
While the business manager of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, Michael Digges, wrote to companies with which the organisation had partnerships in June 2015, it was to point out that support of same-sex marriage is incompatible with the business practices of the archdiocese, it said in an emailed statement.
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"It is misleading to say the Archdiocese threatened in any way a boycott of companies included in the campaign," it continued. "Mr Digges offered to meet and discuss the issue further with the people to whom he had written in the spirit of genuine dialogue.
"The Catholic Church's stand on same-sex marriage remains very clear and the Church will continue to engage in respectful public debate on the issue."
Allegedly under pressure from the Catholic Church, Australia's largest telecommunications provider will not be participating in the public campaign in support of same-sex marriage, a new report suggests.
According to The Australian, Archdiocese of Sydney business manager Michael Digges approached a number of companies who had given permission for their logo to be used in a newspaper advertisement in support of marriage equality in May 2015.
He suggested the church could withdraw business from participating companies, including Telstra, which reportedly serves Catholic schools around Australia.
"You are publically supporting a strategic, political and well-funded campaign designed to pressure the Federal Government into changing the Marriage Act," a letter sent by Digges in 2015, obtained by the ABC, read.
"For corporations to speak on such issues... is indeed overstepping their purpose and it is to be strongly resisted."
While Telstra participated in last year's ad, and its logo still appeared as a corporate supporter of Australian Marriage Equality on the advocacy group's website Wednesday, a spokesman for Telstra told the newspaper the company will not be participating further in the ongoing public debate.
"Telstra has demonstrated it places great importance on diversity and standing against discrimination, in all its forms. Our workforce reflects this diversity, including people of same-sex in a broad range of relationships," the spokesperson said in a statement emailed to Mashable Australia.
"The Government has committed to putting same-sex marriage before the Australian people in a plebiscite and, ultimately, it will be Parliament who determines any changes to the institution of marriage. In view of this Telstra has no further plans to figure prominently in the wider public debate."
Australian Marriage Equality told Mashable Australia it was upset with Telstra's retreat from public support.
"It is really disappointing and we hope that they would reconsider in light of public support for marriage equality and in support of workplace diversity within their own company," said Shirleene Robinson, NSW Convenor at Australian Marriage Equality.
"We've been really impressed by the level of corporate support, and this is disappointing considering 72% of the Australian population are in favour of marriage equality," Robinson added. "It just makes good public and business sense that they would be behind the campaign for marriage equality."
Australia does not yet have marriage equality, but the government has proposed a controversial plebiscite--a non-binding public vote-- be held on the issue. The date for the vote has not yet been announced.
Many of Australia's largest brands have become vocal supporters of LGBTQ rights in Australia, including the bank ANZ and technology giants like Google, Facebook and Twitter.
The Catholic Church has been approached for comment.
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Ariel Bogle was an associate editor with Mashable in Australia covering technology. Previously, Ariel was associate editor at Future Tense in Washington DC, an editorial initiative between Slate and New America.
